SOTSOL & UCNE

Unity Church of North Easton News
(Unitarian Universalist)
"We Pledge to Walk Together..."
Volume 3, No. 5, September 1, 2013

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In This Issue
Water Communion
Ed White
RE Needs YOU!
Grills Needed!
Nursery Help Needed
Holly House Spruced Up
UCNE Receives Grant
Music Opportunities
Worship & Fellowship
EC News
Church Member List



 

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Welcome Back!

Water Communion September 8th

Like many other UU congregations, we hold Water Communion at the beginning of our new church year each September. Please join our new minister, Rev. Kristin Grassel Schmidt, on Sunday, September 8th at 10:30 am, in welcoming our congregation and friends back to regular services at Unity Church.

Members and friends are encouraged to bring to the service a small amount of water from a place that is special to them. During the appointed time in the service, you will pour your water into a large bowl. As the water is added, you may briefly tell why this water is special to you.

The combined water is symbolic of our shared faith coming from many different sources. This water is then blessed by the congregation, and later boiled and used as the congregation's "holy water" in child dedication ceremonies and similar events.

We hope to see you back in church on September 8th!

** IMPORTANT **
We will be taking an updated congregational photo before Social Hour on September 8th. We hope to use this photo on our web site and newsletter banners, so please do come and bring your best smile!


Please remember, if you were not able to attend June Jubilee, see Chris Pender in September for your Unity Church "volunteer appreciation" key chain.

Keychain 1  

Church Office Hours    

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Ed White


Ed White Steps Down as Memorial Fund Trustee


The Unity Church Memorial Fund was conceived by long-time Unity member Ed White many years ago as a way to both memorialize loved ones and to provide a means of funding special projects and purchases at Unity that fall outside of the operating budget and that we may not be able to afford otherwise.

How the Memorial Fund Works

If there is someone you would like to memorialize by making a donation to the Unity Church Memorial Fund, you would send a check and a note (include the name of the person you wish to memorialize and the contact information for the family/loved ones to receive notice of your donation) to the Memorial Fund Treasurer. The memorialized person's name is placed in the Memorial Fund Book, located in the glass case in the Chaffin Room. You will receive a thank you for your tax-deductible contribution to the Fund, and the family receives a note informing them of your donation. The money is placed in the Fund.

In general, only the interest of the fund may be spent, unless specifically noted otherwise by the donor. The principle continues to grow so that the generated revenue builds up over the years. If a congregation member has an item or project that they think would be a good fit for the Memorial Fund, they take their idea to the Memorial Fund Trustees for approval to take the request to a Congregational Meeting. The expenditure must be approved by a voting member majority at the meeting.

In recent years, the Memorial Fund has either funded, or helped to fund, many projects that have enhanced the life of the congregation. Some of these projects include:
  • The Lift Project
  • Holly House renovations
  • LCD projector and cart
  • Parish Hall chairs and tables
  • Assistive listening devices
  • This year the fund purchased the two new announcement stands.
Ed White has been the Memorial Fund's careful and devoted steward since its inception; he kept the books, submitted annual reports, accepted donations, reminded us of the availability of the fund for memorial purposes, maintained the Memorial Fund Book into which the names of loved ones are placed, and wrote hand-written thank you notes to donors and notes to the families of those memorialized informing them of the donation.

Ed was acknowledged for his years of service as Memorial Fund Trustee at the May Congregational Meeting. Ed pointed out that the fund is there to memorialize loved ones by helping people - all of the Memorial Fund projects have directly helped people and Ed made special note of the lift and assistive listening devices as examples, and also thanked Ernie Cohen for his work on both of those projects.
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Greg Wolfe

The next time you see Ed, please thank him for his vision and his devotion to this wonderful Unity Church tradition. Please also thank Greg Wolfe for agreeing to transition Ed's duties going forward. Greg was appointed by the Executive Committee and is now carrying the Memorial Fund torch for Ed.

Other members of the Memorial Fund Trustees are Anne Fredericks and Walter Tramontano (shown below.)
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If you have questions or would like to make a donation to the Memorial Fund in honor or memory of someone, please contact Greg.


Hands & Flames

Fall is Here!
The RE Program *STILL* Needs YOU!



The format for Religious Education will be a bit different than in years past. There will only be three classrooms this fall (one class each of Preschool/Kindergarten, First/Second, and Third-Eighth).
Deanna G CRE
We are still in need of one more "permanent" teacher for the preschool/kindergarten class, and also need one or two more teachers to fill in for the older grades or float between grades if a teacher is not able to make it to church one week.

Please contact Deanna (shown right) as soon as possible if you can help. She can be reached at
[email protected] or 857-829-3285.  


null Got Grills?
Wouldn't it be great to have a couple of gas grills available at the church? The grills would allow for more spontaneous out-door gatherings and would ease the work of bigger events - no more hunting for someone to lend their grills and finding someone to pick up and deliver them!

Before we investigate ways to fund this idea, we wondered if anyone out there may have a like-new gas grill that they no longer want. The grill would have to truly be in wonderful condition to meet safe cooking standards at the church.

If anyone has a grill that they think might fit the bill and are willing to donate, please contact Ellen Dehm at [email protected].

Thanks!


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Babies, Babies, Babies!




Help! Do you have a teenage neighbor, relative or teenage child that may be interested in working in our nursery? If so, please share this plea!

This year Unity's nursery has gone through a complete turnover. Both Emily and Liam are no longer available. Emily has transferred to a college not in the area and Liam is off to college too! Our summer recruitment efforts have been unsuccessful.

We are seeking your referrals. Nursery babysitters are paid $10 per hour and work Sundays from 10:15 a 11:45 a.m.

On occasion, we need babysitters for meetings and other church functions. We will provide an orientation and training to ensure the comfort of both babysitters and parents.

Interested candidates should email Carolyn McCafferty at [email protected].


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Summer Holly House Spruce Up



As most As most of you know, Holly House is a hub of activity during our regular church year. Holly House is home to our Minister's Office, Church Office, Religious Education rooms, and meeting rooms. It also serves the community as a place for small meetings.

As part of an on-going effort to restore Holly House, Holly House Trustees Bob Champagne-Willis and Ellen Dehm arranged to have some work done in the venerable building over the summer. Gone are the old water stains on the walls that were the result of the old leaky slate roof. (The slate and copper roof were replaced in 2010.) Gone are the plaster washers that used to polka-dot the ceilings to keep the ceiling plaster in place. And gone are the old, dim ceiling lights!

Thanks to financial support from the Unity Church and Parsonage Trust Funds, all damaged plaster was repaired. For loose plaster in the upstairs' ceilings, holes were drilled and then strong epoxy was injected and left to cured. The plaster washers could then be safely removed, and the cosmetic plaster damage was repaired. The peeling wallpaper in the blue room was removed, and underlying plaster repaired. Fresh coats of paint were applied, obliterating multiple unsightly water stains and numerous years of wear and tear.

Old ceiling light fixtures were replaced with newer, brighter versions in the upstairs rooms. New wiring was added to support these changes, as well as new wall outlets and wall switches. Combo ceiling/light fixtures were added to the Minister's and Church offices, and new switches were added in the offices and Conference Room so that the fans and lights could be independently controlled from a wall switch.

Finally! No more climbing on the conference room table to pull the fan chain! In addition, new outlets were added to the offices to accommodate all of the electrical equipment that modern-day communication demands.

Thanks go to Building and Grounds Coordinator Ernie Cohen for bringing the lighting and outlet needs to the Trustees attention. And our great Sexton, Bernie Champagne, did a thorough cleaning of the house, even steam-cleaning all of the carpets.

Holly House is ready for another great year of service! Stop by and check it out.
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Pre and post pictures of Holly House Blue Room: Old wallpaper removed, wall plaster repaired and painted. Ceiling plaster repaired, plaster washers removed,  and ceiling painted. Light fixture upgraded.
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Pre and post pictures of Holly House Yellow Room: Plaster repaired, water stains treated and painted.


UCNE Logo Colorform

Unity Church Receives a $10K Grant




We are pleased and excited to announce that Unity Church has been chosen to receive a $10,000 grant from the Howard Trust Fund. This fund was set up by the Trustees of The Home For Aged Men in The City of Brockton, a non-profit organization engaged in funding projects that specifically benefit the elderly.

There are many possible projects that fall under this scope including improvements to the sound system, replacement of the FM system and headphones for hearing impaired, lighting and light fixture upgrades, and computer-multimedia upgrades to make portion of services available on line to those at home.

While the grant is limited to non-capital expenditures (i.e. parking lot improvements or entry ramps are not allowable projects under the rules of the grant), we will be setting up a work group to review possible projects and implement improvements over the coming year.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for improvements specifically related to the elderly, please contact Ernie Cohen or Greg Wolfe

We are so very grateful for this opportunity, and look forward to putting together some plans to benefit our congregation.

Respectfully,
Greg Wolfe


Unity Church Music Opportunities
The Choir rehearses every Sunday morning at nine o'clock, sings anthems, leads hymn singing, and sings in concerts and special services throughout the year. All who love singing are welcome in our choir. 

  

The Handbell Choir rehearses every Wednesday nightBells 2007 from September through May. They play in church services on the third Sunday of every month. They also play concerts throughout the year, Those wishing to become part of the handbell choir should contact Richard Hill.
   Greg W & guitar 2013
The Band includes all who show interest. They rehearse on the first and fourth Thursdays of each month and perform in church services on the second Sunday of each month. All who wish to join the band are welcome at rehearsals.   

The Youth Choir rehearses on Sundays after the church service at 12:00 PM and sings on the fourth Sunday of each month. All are welcome! RH 2013

Instrumentalists are invited to perform in church services. To arrange dates for rehearsals and performances, please contact Richard Hill at
 
Musical Notes in 2013 - 2014
2013-2014 Music Schedule  


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Worship & Fellowship News 


Attention! Thinkers, Dreamers, Ponderers, Meditators, Preachers (but, really, Everyone)


The Worship Committee is looking for Lay Leaders! This year, under the guidance of our new minister, Rev. Kristen Grassel Schmidt, we have chosen monthly themes for worship.

If you are interested in speaking on any of the topics below, please contact Jannelle Codianni at [email protected] by Sunday September 15th

We can't wait to hear from you!
  • September 29: Revival 
  • November 10 (Veteran's Day): Generosity 
  • December 1 (Hanukkah): Light 
  • March 2 & March 9: Success 
  • May 25 (Memorial Day): Joy 
Unity Church Book Group
null The Unity Church Book Group meets on the first Wednesday of each month.

The meetings will be held on at Noon at the home of Walter Tramontano. All are welcome! For information about the book selection or directions please contact Michele Blake at 508-230-2839 or [email protected]


Executive Committee News
Reminder - Executive Committee Meeting Schedule Change
To better accommodate the schedules of our Executive Committee members, Executive Committee meetings will be moved from the second Tuesday of the month to the third Tuesday of the month at 7pm starting Tuesday June 18th. Please call President Chris Pender with any questions.

Affirmations
At the beginning of every Executive Committee meeting, we go around the table and ask if there are any special affirmations anyone would like to make. Though they do make it into the EC meeting minutes every month, we thought it would be nice to express this appreciation in a more public way.

 
So, they are included in our Unity News regularly! Here are the
recent affirmations: 
  • Greg Wolfe for filling in for Building and Grounds Coordinator Ernie Cohen while Ernie is on vacation.
  • Susanne Rogers for her great work as Treasurer and for agreeing to stay in the position for another year.  
  • President Chris Pender for her tireless work in shepherding us through one of Unity Church's most challenging years ever.
  • Executive Committee for finalizing the agreement with the new minister.
  • The Search Committee for finding us a fine minister in a short amount of time.
  • Greg Wolfe for a successful Howard Grant proposal resulting in $10,000 money to use towards sound system and/or lighting improvement.  

To read all the EC minutes, click here to Login as a Member.  

 

If you have affirmations that you would like to pass on, please share them by sending them to [email protected]

Looking for Unity Church Member Contact information?
You can find it on our web site under the Member Access menu,
after you log in as a member.

Now in a more eco-friendly format of 6 (or 3, 2-sided) printable pages!

Click here to get to the Member Login.

If you have any trouble logging in, just send a note to the Web Administrator using the instructions on the Member Login page.

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New to Unity Church or want to Join Our Mailing List? 
 
Upcoming Events

The Calendar

Water Communion on September 8, 2013
 
Photo Credits for this Issue of the Unity News
Cathy Adler and Ellen Dehm


Unity News Contact Info
For questions or comments regarding this message, please contact Cathy Adler, Unity News Managing Editor & Web Administrator, at [email protected] .

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